Costa Rica vs Upper middle income: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP)
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) over time
- Costa Rica
- Upper middle income
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 5.4% against 1.1% in Upper middle income, a difference of 4.3%.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 5.0 times Upper middle income's.
Across all 56 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 39th and Upper middle income ranks 39th of 201 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.3% | 0.7% | 1.5% | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 1.8% | 0.6% | 1.2% | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.1% | 1.1% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 6.0% | 2.9% | 3.1% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 2.4% | 2.9% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 1.5% | 4.1% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net inflows, Costa Rica or Upper middle income?
- Costa Rica, at 5.4% against 1.1% in Upper middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net inflows between Costa Rica and Upper middle income?
- 4.3%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Upper middle income?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Upper middle income rank globally for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Costa Rica ranks 39th and Upper middle income ranks 39th of 201 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Foreign direct investment is the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows net inflows (new investment inflows less disinvestment) in the reporting economy from foreign investors, and is divided by GDP.